Transfusion quantities associated with 24-h mortality in trauma patients

Data on the correlation between transfusion volumes and trauma mortality are limited. The association between the total number of red blood cell (RBC) and low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) units, as well as the total volume of all transfused products that were administered up to 4-h after admission and 24-h mortality was determined.

The Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) datasets from 2020 to 2022 were reviewed to identify patients aged ≥15 who received any volume of blood products. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were constructed along with the calculated area under the ROC curve (AUROC) to determine the association between the quantity of transfusion and 24-h mortality.

There were 144,379 encounters that met inclusion, with 22,467 patients who died within the first 24 h. There was a 90% probability of 24-h mortality following the transfusion of 56 RBC/LTOWB units (AUROC 0.673), with the 90% specificity, Youden's index, and 90% sensitivity surrounding this probability occurring after the transfusion of 8, 4, and 2 units, respectively. In terms of the volume of transfusion, there was a 90% probability of 24-h mortality following the transfusion of 36,000 mL of all blood products combined (AUROC 0.662), with the 90% specificity, Youden's index, and 90% sensitivity surrounding this probability occurring after the transfusion of 4400, 2000, and 500 mL, respectively.

Both the total number of RBC and LTOWB units transfused and the total volume of all blood products transfused demonstrated poor predictive association with the risk of 24-h mortality in the civilian trauma population.